


"I Love You."

by heytheregisela



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, M/M, Mavin, RageHappy, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 16:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3903445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heytheregisela/pseuds/heytheregisela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off <a href="http://mogarsjones.tumblr.com/post/115725218498/heathyr-aceofultron-soulmate-au-where-instead-of">this</a>, where your soulmate’s last words are written on your skin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"I Love You."

_I love you._

 

Everyone was born with a phrase somewhere on their skin, like some sort of tattoo or birthmark, and for the longest time, no one knew why or what it meant. Nobody ever had the same words; everyone had it different, ranging from the oddest to the sweetest things, and it wasn't until the patterns were connected that it all made sense. The words they were born with were words that came from their soulmate's mouth and although it sounded like some beautiful mystery, something that people would be excited to hear, wondering who would say it, but it was nothing of the sort.

The words were deadly – literally.

They were the last words the soulmate would ever say and sure, many others could say the words to someone, but to prove it really was _the_ soulmate, they would be gone after it was discovered. It was the only way to know... but was it even worth it? Of course not. Therefore, people didn't live with anticipation of finding their soulmate. They lived in fear of it, in fear of hearing the words that was imprinted onto their skin. And yet, they did their best not to show it, because what was life if fear took over?

 

* * *

 

Michael Jones tapped his fingers on his desk, trying his best not to let his eyelids close for the tenth time in that class, but his professor sure had an _exciting_ way of teaching. His best friend, Lindsay Tuggey, glanced over at him and smiled softly. Seeing the struggle of staying awake was nothing new to her and she knew just the trick to get him to wake up. Making sure their professor had his back to them, Lindsay reached over and pinched Michael on his wrist. Michael hissed through his teeth, jumping in his seat and accidentally bumping his knee up underneath his desk. He hissed again before cursing under his breath and glaring at the redhead next to him.

Lindsay smiled innocently. “Good morning,” she whispered.

Michael rolled his eyes and faced forward. Okay, he definitely wouldn't almost fall asleep this time, because Lindsay's pinches practically hurt just as bad as a bee sting. And she knew that, too, otherwise she wouldn't use that power so often.

“Well, I think we'll end it here for today,” their professor spoke, causing Michael's heart to thud in excitement. “I'll see you all tomorrow and I expect the homework I assigned on Monday to be done. You can turn it in late, but only for half credit, so you decide which you'd prefer. Have a good day.”

Michael and Lindsay quickly gathered their things and began walking out together. Michael was waiting until they were both outside of the classroom before “yelling” at her about pinching him, but on his way out the door, he bumped roughly into someone and noticed that they managed to drop a few of their things.

“Fuck, sorry,” Michael mumbled as he bent down to help them pick everything up. Lindsay merely stood aside and stifled a laugh, as did their classmates who just walked on by.

“It's fine,” the person said, shaking their head.

Michael blinked, a little surprised that he heard an accent in that voice. He grabbed their binder and textbook and stood back up. They did so as well after grabbing a few papers. Now that they were face-to-face, Michael could see who it was.

“Oh, uh, I've seen you before.”

The Brit snorted. “Well, we are in this class together.”

Michael sighed and handed him his stuff back. “Right, yeah, but I mean... I know your name... it's just not coming back to me right now.”

“Gavin, right?” Lindsay intervened.

Michael raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, Gavin!”

Gavin smiled at both of them and nodded. “Hi.”

“I'm Lindsay,” the redhead said as she held her hand out. Gavin cradled all of his stuff on one side as he shook her hand. He did the same to Michael after Michael introduced himself and the three of them just stood there, looking around at each other, silently.

Gavin pursed his lips and took a step out of the classroom. “I guess I should get going.”

“Got another class starting soon?” Lindsay asked.

“No, but I didn't get up early enough for breakfast, so I thought I'd go grab something right now.”

“Oh, well I can come with you,” Michael suggested with a shrug and a crooked smile that had Lindsay narrowing her eyes at him. He ignored her though and continued talking to Gavin, “I was actually gonna go eat something right now too.”

Lindsay wanted to laugh, because she and Michael had actually purposely woken up earlier that day to eat breakfast before class. She wasn't going to say anything, though. She could understand what Michael was attempting here and it was kind of amazing to see.

The corners of Gavin's mouth rose up slightly. “Okay, Michael, that sounds great. It would be nice to eat with someone instead of alone for a change.”

“Well, then you two better get going then,” Lindsay said, gently pushing them both out of the room. “You know, just to make sure you get a table.”

Michael sent a glare her way but smiled when Gavin looked at him again. “She's right,” he said. Gavin nodded and started taking the lead while Michael turned back to Lindsay. “I'll see you later.”

Lindsay brought her hand up and gently patted his cheek. “You just promise me you'll stay out of trouble.”

Michael moved his head away and grinned. “I promise,” he told her. With that, he hurried on after Gavin and Lindsay couldn't even stop herself from smiling.

 

* * *

 

The next day in that class, Lindsay stayed home; she was coming down with something and didn't want to bother with school, but she did email her paper to Michael for him to print out and hand in. Michael debated to sleep in a little more since he wouldn't have to meet up with her and that meant there was no point in getting to class early, but he found himself changing into different clothes and leaving anyway. There were only about six other students already sitting down, but the professor hadn't arrived yet. Michael scanned the room and noticed one of the students was Gavin, who seemed indulged in some book.

Michael thought about walking over and sitting next to him, yet he quickly decided against it. They hung out once and even though it went well and they found out they had many things in common, it didn't mean they were suddenly great friends or anything. With a defeated sigh, he headed towards his usual seat and froze in his steps when he heard his name. He turned to see that it was Gavin calling him over. Well, in that case...

Michael smiled as he headed over to the empty seat next to him.

“Where's Lindsay?” Gavin asked, looking around.

Michael's smile fell. “She's sick. I'm thinking about taking her something to eat after this class.”

“Aw, well I hope she feels better.”

“Yeah, me too. It feels weird being in this class without her; she's the one who keeps me awake and entertained!”

Gavin let out a small laugh. “Well, maybe I can help keep you awake today.”

“Nah,” Michael waved him off. “It's more her thing, especially because it actually works.”

“What does she do?”

“Pinches the shit out of me, seriously. She's vicious with those.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow and set his book down before turning his body more to face Michael better. “Pinching? That's all?”

“What do you mean _that's all_?” Michael questioned, crossing his arms. “It works.”

“If that's what it takes, I can pinch you.”

“No, Gavin, it can't just be _anyone_ who pinches me. No one can pinch like Lindsay Tuggey.”

Gavin smirked. “Is that a challenge?”

“Wha-” Michael was cut off by Gavin reaching over and pinching him right on the arm. It did sting a bit, but it wasn't anything Michael couldn't handle. His eyebrows twitched together as he looked Gavin in the eyes. “Okay, that hurt a little, but again, no one can pinch like Linds can.”

Gavin sighed and shrugged. “Guess I'll have to get her to pinch me.”

“Oh, fuck yeah, I'd pay to see that and your reaction.”

“I'm sure you're over-exaggerating.”

“Am I? Well, we'll see.”

Gavin opened his mouth to say something to that, but their professor walked in and greeted the class. Both he and Michael only just realized how much the room had filled since they started talking. When the hell did everyone else show up? The two faced forward, although, Michael kept glancing over at Gavin every now and so, and the few times he was caught, they would exchange smiles.

And that was just the beginning of it.

 

* * *

 

Around three months later, when the semester was finally over and finals were done and forgotten with, Michael lied in bed, eyes shut and mouth slightly open. This was one of the first mornings since Winter break that he could actually sleep in and he was taking full advantage of it. But he wasn't alone in his bed. Snuggled up to him was Gavin, peacefully and deeply in a sleep as well.

After a few weeks of getting to know each other, after Lindsay finally showed Gavin what it felt like to be pinched by her on the arm, Michael worked up the courage to properly ask Gavin out on a date. Much to surprise, Gavin accepted, and they went out to eat after they were done with classes that Friday. Michael was practically a wreck, since he had really no idea how he was supposed to act on a date. Okay, well, he needed to be himself, of course. He knew not to over think everything... just relax. Relax. _Relax._ As Lindsay said to him a million times as he got ready.

So he did exactly that. He relaxed and enjoyed himself at dinner, which worked, because at the end of the date, not only did he feel satisfied with how everything went, Gavin did as well. The Brit even gave Michael a quick kiss on the cheek as they said “goodnight” to each other.

Maybe the date could have been better, more exciting or whatever, but it certainly wasn't awful, and Michael didn't want to change a thing about it.

It was why they were where they were now, sleeping calmly together, feeling relieved that all of the stress from the semester was wearing off them.

Michael inhaled sharply, opening his eyes slowly and seeing his dorm come into a blurry view. Remembering who was next to him, he smiled and turned over gently to look at Gavin. Normally, he wouldn't have let Gavin sleep over, but his roommate had taken off for summer vacation the second he finished finals, so Michael had the dorm to himself until he packed up to leave for home as well. That wasn't for another day, though, and he hoped to spend as much time with Gavin before they both left. Michael listened to Gavin's soft breathing and leaned in until their foreheads were slightly touching. He knew it had only been three months and yes, he didn't have all the knowledge on relationships (he only had one before and that barely lasted a month), but he did know full well that what he had here with Gavin was something... something good. Something amazing.

Being too lost in his thoughts, Michael didn't notice that Gavin was waking up until he heard a mumble of “Good morning.”

Michael blinked a few times and grinned. “Hey.”

“You look adorable like this,” Gavin mused, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through Michael's curls.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I'm _always_ adorable.”

Gavin couldn't disagree with that even if he tried, so he nodded and whispered, “Yes, you are,” before closing the space between their lips. Michael's eyes fluttered shut as he pulled Gavin closer, smiling against the kiss, because one thing he could never tire of was the way every kiss made him feel, like it was the first time all over again – with the nerves, the butterflies bouncing wildly around in his stomach, and the warmth.

When they pulled away, Gavin sat up abruptly and stretched while Michael began searching within him to get up. Sure they were able to sleep in and no longer had classes to worry about, but they did want to get their packing done already as to not have to think about it later. Gavin was going to help Michael with his packing, and then Michael would help Gavin with his.

“I like knowing I'm going home, somewhere I haven't been in fucking forever, but I hate this part,” Michael said as finally stood up and headed over to open a drawer.

Gavin came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Michael's shoulder. “I'll miss you,” he spoke softly.

“I'll miss you too,” Michael told him, patting his hands. “But hey, you're gonna be staying with your family friends in Austin, right?”

“Yep.”

“Well, at least you'll still be in the same state. I have to go all the way back to Jersey.”

Gavin stepped back and moved over to start helping with pulling out Michael's clothes. “You're excited though, yeah?”

“Sure, especially since my mom has all these damn ideas of everything we're gonna be doing together once I get there. I'm just curious what those plans are.”

“If she knows you well, they'll be fun.”

“What about you? What do you plan on doing with the Ramseys in Austin?” asked Michael as he walked back to his bed to pull his suitcase from underneath.

Gavin quickly joined him at his side and shrugged a shoulder. “I'm not sure, but we'll probably find plenty of things to do. I don't think I've been bored around them. They're an interesting couple. You should meet them one day.”

“I am coming back here a week before classes start, so I can probably drop by then?”

The way Gavin's eyes seemed to literally light up as he grinned at that made Michael laugh.

“I'm guessing you like that idea,” he said.

“I do,” Gavin nodded, folding one of Michael's shirts and placing it into the suitcase.

Michael stopped his movements to grab Gavin and pull him in for another kiss, although, it was a mere peck on the lips that left Gavin raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“I just... I like you, a lot,” Michael said to him.

Gavin's expression softened. “I like me a lot, too.” Michael immediately glared at him and pushed him away gently, making him laugh. “ _Michael_! I'm kidding. I like _you_ a lot, too.”

“Shut up,” Michael grumbled, though he turned his head to hide the smile threatening to come out. Gavin noticed, but he said nothing of it and went back to folding more shirts. He did like Michael a lot... much more than he intended to. Before starting school, he had told himself he wouldn't get into any relationships, yet here he was, with someone that made him smile with the smallest things, that made him feel comfortable enough to say anything and that did mean _anything._ And he was happy. He was happy before he met Michael, specifically because of the route he chose to take in his life and how it seemed to be working out the way he had hoped, but now with Michael, he was... happier.

He glanced over at Michael who was making sure everything was fitting into his suitcase and he sighed. Getting into a relationship wasn't what he imagined when coming here, but sometimes plans shifted a little.

 

* * *

 

“Who you texting? _Michael_?”

Gavin groaned at the question and at who asked it _and_ the way they asked it. He looked up from his phone to find Geoff standing in the doorway, a goofy grin on his face.

“You're worse than my dad,” Gavin told him.

Geoff rolled his eyes and wandered over to join the young lad on the couch. “It's only been a month since you last saw him. Stop spending all your time here texting him. Let's do something.”

Gavin bit down on his lower lip and read over what Michael had said before locking his phone. “Fine. What do you want to do?”

“You're the guest, so you choose.”

The Brit looked around the room until his gaze set on the TV and the console resting next to it on the floor. With a smile, he nodded towards it. “It's been a while,” he said. Geoff smiled at him and jumped up off the couch to retrieve the controllers.

“Oh, Gavin,” he laughed. “You're going to be so sorry. See, since the last time you came, I've been practicing.”

“Well then, Geoffrey, I'm excited to see if your practice paid off.”

Geoff returned to the couch and handed one of the controllers to Gavin. “You've been doing nothing but studying for the past months, so I'm not worried, but I know you should be.”

“I might be a little rusty at first, but I'll recover.”

“Oh, hey, just like old times,” Griffon spoke as she walked down the stairs and into the living room. “For a while there, I thought I wasn't going to you two like this.”

“Griffon, I want to challenge you next after I beat Geoff,” Gavin told her, sending a smug smile toward Geoff's way.

Geoff scoffed and shook his head. He looked up at his wife to say, “He means he wants to _try_ challenging you next after I kick his ass.”

“Nope, I meant exactly what I said.”

“You're a cocky little prick, aren't you? What did that school really teach you?”

Gavin's only response was to further smirk before starting up the game. Griffon was going to leave for a bit to run some errands, yet she made herself comfortable on the far end of the couch because this was something she couldn't miss. The second the game began, both of them had the most determined looks on their faces – tongues slightly sticking out and brows furrowed. Griffon was already laughing.

 

* * *

 

“I think it's nice that they're spending all this time with you,” Lindsay said to Michael over the phone as she prepared herself a snack.

Michael huffed. “They're smothering the fuck out of me, especially my mom. She's acting like she hasn't seen me in years. She saw me at Christmas. I mean, okay, I kind of like it but god damn it's almost everyday.”

“Yeah, but you kind of like it, she can tell, too, which is why she keeps doing it.”

“I guess. Anyway, what have you been doing?”

“Me?” Lindsay tapped her chin with her finger as she thought about it. “Besides work, not much. I'm letting myself be a little lazy. I think I deserve it.”

“For someone who got straight A's this _and_ last semester, I would fucking hope so.”

“I'm so proud of myself, because I don't think I'll ever get straight A's again.”

“You say that but watch, after this fall's semester. If you get straight A's again, you owe me something, and if you don't, then I'll owe you something.”

“Ah, a deal. I'm liking this. Okay, what exactly would I get?”

“Whatever the hell you want, you name it. The same goes for me.”

Lindsay's lips curled up as she shook her head. “Slightly worried now, but fine. Deal. I can't wait until you're my servant for a week.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? That's what you would want?”

“Hey, it's funny in my mind. I can't wait to see how funny it is in person.”

Michael sat down on the edge of his bed before allowing himself to drop back and stare up at the ceiling. “A part of me can't wait to get back just to see you and everyone else.”

“Everyone else being Gavin, right?” Lindsay joked. Michael could hear her giggling to herself quietly. He was going to say something, but then she continued talking, “How are you two?”

“Hmm, we're great. He's great.”

“Do you guys talk everyday?”

“You know, for the first three weeks, we did, but now we've kind of cooled it down. I'm not gonna lie, though, when we do talk, it'll be for hours. I won't even fucking notice how much time has passed.”

“That sounds disgustingly adorable, I love it.”

Michael laughed softly but stopped when he heard his mom call out for him. With a small groan, he said, “I gotta go. Mom wants to show me something or some shit.”

“Oh, don't sound so upset about that. Jeez. Your mom is awesome.”

“She can be.”

Lindsay wanted to say that if she were there, she would pinch him. Instead, she just smiled and said, “Alright, I'll talk to you later. Love you.”

“Yeah, love you too. Bye,” with that, Michael hung up the phone call and forced himself up to go see what his mother even wanted now.

 

* * *

 

Gavin was lying on his back, eyes closed and corners of his lips rising upward slowly as Michael trailed kisses along his jawline, gently... in no rush at all. His hand was resting on the back of Michael's head. Every now and so, he would tug lightly on his hair, causing a reaction out of Michael that would bring chills to him. Michael lifted his head a little, but he left their mouths mere inches apart. Gavin opened his eyes and brought out his tongue to wet his bottom lip. When Michael's attention shifted down to it, he felt his heart tingle.

“You mean so much to me, Gavin,” Michael whispered, their noses touching. Gavin grinned at him.

“Michael...”

“Michael?” Another voice said.

Gavin gasped and really opened his eyes this time to find he had fallen asleep on the couch. He turned his head and found Geoff by the stairs, staring at him intently.

“Oh, bollocks,” he sighed in defeat.

Geoff tried holding his laughter back, but he couldn't. “I would say I'm sorry-”

“Geoff, stop it,” Gavin frowned, sitting up.

“Okay, okay,” Geoff took a deep breath to calm himself down. “I'll let you be.” He headed for the kitchen, but stopped walking at the sound of Gavin's voice again.

“Geoff, can I ask you something?”

“Well, sure, buddy,” he answered, turning back around to face him.

“How did you know that you felt the way you feel about Griffon?”

Geoff raised his eyebrows. Of all the things he could have thought Gavin would ask him, that was not one of them. “I'm thinking someone is really feeling serious about Michael, aren't they?”

Gavin shrugged. “I... I don't know, and I'm afraid.”

“You don't have to over analyze; you know when you know. There's never any hesitation about it.”

Gavin swallowed roughly and nodded, leaving Geoff to know he was done discussing this. The older man smiled at him before turning and entering the kitchen. Gavin moved his gaze to the floor, frowning. He wasn't sure why he was so frightened by the way he was feeling, because he did feel sure about them. Very sure.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, honey, after you're done talking to him, will you come with me to the store to buy some groceries?” Mrs. Jones asked Michael as he started walking towards his bedroom to call Gavin.

Michael nodded and smiled at her. “Yeah, sure.” He already started calling Gavin and was barely halfway to his room when the Brit answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Gav,” Michael greeted, rather cheerfully.

Ever since his dream from his nap earlier in the day, Gavin had been quiet, not really wanting to do anything but get lost in his own thoughts, but now that he was talking to Michael, he was feeling a little better.

“I'm so happy to hear from you,” he admitted, his conversation with Geoff creeping back into his mind.

“Aw, yeah?” Michael was smirking but his face grew serious when he thought of something. “Everything alright?”

“What?” Gavin blinked. “Yeah, yeah! Everything's fine. How are things with you?”

“The same as last time. Mom's still making sure she spends almost every waking moment with me. She actually wants me to go freaking grocery shopping with her in a bit.”

“Oh. So, this call will have to be short then?”

“Well, I can call you again after I get home?”

Gavin shook his head, despite the fact that Michael couldn't exactly see him doing that, and realizing that, he said, “No, no, don't. It's fine.”

“Are you sure?”

There was a silence that followed. For what felt like longer than necessary, Michael only heard Gavin breathing, but that was it. No words left his boyfriend's mouth and becoming impatient with this, Michael groaned.

“Be honest with me, Gav. I know when something's up and I know something is up right now,” but then he frowned, his tone softening before speaking again, “Okay, you don't have to tell me what it is. It's your business, but you know I'm here to listen whenever you need to talk about anything.”

Gavin licked his lips and took a deep breath. “Nothing's wrong, Michael. It's actually the complete opposite.”

“Wait... what?”

Now Gavin was smiling, smiling widely as Geoff's words played in his head. _There's never any hesitation about it._ No, there wasn't. “I love you,” he blurted out and he sounded as confident as he always had. 

Michael's eyes slowly widened and his heart was beginning to pick up its pace.  _I love you._ Gavin  _loved_ him. Loved  _him._

“Michael!” Mrs. Jones called sweetly from down the hall, getting him out of his minor trance. 

Michael blinked hard and breathed out a laugh. “Holy shit, Gavin,” he grinned. “I-I gotta go, but... I love you, too.” 

_Oh, thank Christ,_ Gavin thought to himself. The phone call ended there and he took advantage of his time alone to squeal to himself. He did it. He said what he knew he'd been feeling for months, and it felt  _ amazing _ .

Michael quickly put his phone into his pocket and told his mom he would be out in a second. He went to his closet and grabbed a new shirt to wear. He wanted to tell himself to stop smiling for fuck's fake, but how was it even possible right now? He threw his current shirt off and he glanced behind him to make sure his shoes were right by his bed, and in that moment, he also caught a glimpse of his reflection in his mirror. He would have just looked away, but something he hadn't thought about in years, something he always chose to ignore suddenly wasn't so easy to forget.

_I love you_ , the words written in small print right near his spine and Michael held his breath as he stared hard at them.  _I love you._ The words that used to haunt him, because he knew what would happen.  _I love you._ The reason Lindsay only ever said “Love you”, purposely excluding the “I”, just... just in case. 

_I love you._ It was why Michael never cared too much for relationships, why he didn't have so many, because he was worried. Of all the words... of all the things his soulmate could say... it had to be the sweetest ones that meant the worst. 

No... but Gavin... just because he had  _said_ those words didn't mean anything, right? It had to his soulmate. What were the chances that Gavin was his soulmate? Michael never imagined meeting his soulmate this early in life, or ever, really. In fact, he always hoped he would never have to meet them. So perhaps he hadn't met them yet. Perhaps Gavin wasn't it. 

Everyone had a soulmate, but it didn't mean they had to end up with them. Therefore, Gavin most likely wasn't his soulmate. Although, he was indeed the man Michael was in love with. 

With that in mind, Michael let out the breath he'd been holding and finished off putting his shirt on. He stood still, swallowing thickly and inhaling sharply, attempting to steady his heartbeat. Everything was fine. Everything was okay. He touched his phone in his pocket, tempted to text him to make sure, but he stopped himself. There was no need, because Gavin was okay. 

Michael cleared his throat and hurried out of his room to meet up with his mom in the kitchen. 

“I know I said I wanted you to join me, but I have to take care of a few things here, so will you be willing to go by yourself and pick these things up for me?” Mrs. Jones said, handing over a written list to her son. Michael shrugged and took it from her. 

At least there wasn't much on it. He smiled at her and turned towards the door, giving her a wave before stepping out. He wasn't going to lie; he was still pretty nervous about this whole “I love you” situation. 

 

* * *

 

Geoff lifted his fist to the bedroom door and was taken aback when Gavin opened the door before he could even knock. Gavin gasped, just as startled.

“You scared me,” Geoff said.

“ _I_ scared _you_? How do you think I felt with you just _standing_ there!”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, dinner's ready, so come on.”

Gavin happily followed him and Geoff wasn't going to question it, except... he'd never really seen Gavin this happy. 

“What the hell's going on with you?” He had to ask. 

The Brit almost squealed, though he bit down on his lower lip to prevent himself. “I may have told Michael something...”

“Oh, god,” Geoff shuddered.

“No, Geoff, nothing like that!” Gavin pouted as practically ran the stairs, Geoff keeping up speed with him. “I meant that I... I listened carefully to what you told me this afternoon, took it into consideration and figured out that I have nothing to hesitate about.”

Geoff twitched his eyebrows together, slowly piecing together what Gavin meant by that. “You took it into consideration and figured out you have nothing to hesitate about?” He asked, although his voice was low, like he was mostly asking himself. As they entered the kitchen together, Geoff snapped his fingers. “Oh, shit,  _Gavin_ !” 

Gavin laughed and nodded. “Yeah! I told him that I love him!”

Griffon spun around at that and gaped at the lad. “You... you told Michael that you love him?” 

Geoff patted Gavin on the back and headed right over to the cabinets to grab plates for all of them while Gavin turned his attention to Griffon.

“I did,” he sighed contently. “I've been wanting to for so long and tonight, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I-I love him. I love everything about him and I really can't wait for you two meet him before school starts up again.”

“Hey, I'll be looking forward to it,” Geoff said, handing him a plate.

“So will I,” Griffon smiled. “And I'm guessing he feels the same?”

Gavin bit down on his lower lip and nodded. “Yeah, he said he loves me too.”

“I can already imagine how that conversation went,” Geoff said as he set his plate down on the table. “ _Michael_ , I _love_ you,” he used a fake accent there, making Gavin roll his eyes. “Oh, Gavin, I _love_ you, too,” Geoff used his regular voice for Michael, and then he laughed. 

Griffon gently slapped him on the arm, “Stop that. I think it's sweet.”

“I'm just teasing him,” Geoff assured her, but he turned to Gavin. “You know that, right, Gav-” He stopped talking as he noticed the frightful look on the Brit's face. “Hey, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost? _Please_ tell me you didn't fucking see a ghost.”

Without a word, Gavin dropped his plate, letting it shatter on the kitchen floor and if it weren't any other moment, he would have felt terrible and apologized, but he couldn't. Not right now. “I love you, too,” he uttered. 

Griffon wanted to yell at Gavin for breaking a plate, yet the way he looked and sounded, she had other concerns. “What?” She asked him, exchanging looks with Geoff. 

Gavin started taking a few steps back until he turned and ran out of there.

“Gavin!” Geoff called out, but Gavin kept on running and only stopped when he was back in his room. 

He slammed the door behind him, clutching his chest to catch his breath. “I love you, too,” he breathed out, shakily, falling onto his bed. He pulled up his shirt and right there, on his lower stomach read the words  _I love you, too_ in the smallest print. 

“Michael,” he cried out, frantically grabbing his phone and dialing Michael's number. Ring... ring... ring... ring... ring... ring... and then voicemail.

“Hey, you've reached my fucking voicemail, so whatever it is that you want, it better be good.”

Gavin's phone slipped out of his hand, falling right onto the ground near his feet. “Michael...” he whispered. 

That night, he eventually lied down on the bed, curling up to himself. He stared at the wall for what felt like the longest time and he wasn't quite sure when exactly he had fallen asleep. But he had and he woke to find his actual nightmare had come true.

It had been a semi truck that had ran a red light...

* * *

 

No one was really destined to end up with their soulmates and at times, it would seem rare for someone to find theirs. The words would appear on everyone at birth, but that didn't mean they were always eventually heard by their soulmate. If they were, however, it meant the end, it meant goodbye. It was just how it worked, how it always worked. And the words could be spoken after sixty years of marriage where a person realizes they had been with their soulmate that entire time, as luck would have it, or it could be unfortunate, where the two were only together for less than a year. 

It merely depended on whether or not fate would be cruel or kind in the game of soulmates.

 


End file.
